A Belle to Remember
by lightmeupwhenimdown
Summary: Jackie knows that doing things out of spite is no way to handle a situation. But sometimes, she just can't help it. Rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1

_Hi all! This is the first thing I have ever written so constructive criticism is most welcome! Hope you enjoy!_

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To say that Neptune 26 had been a success would be an understatement. Sure, Jacqueline Kirk was considered famous before the film, but she immediately shot up into an entirely new league upon the release. And she loved every second of it. Acting had always been her passion, her security blanket. In front of a camera is where she felt most at home. Other than a certain professor's bed in Bloomington.

Three years had passed since the day she walked away from the one thing that made her the happiest. She considered it one of her strongest moments. It took every fiber of her being and then some to prevent her from running back into the arms of the woman who had quickly taken over her heart. What began as sadness and regret morphed into anger and self loathing. Over time, she channeled those emotions and used it as her motivation to succeed in all she did. She wanted to show the older blonde just what she was missing out on. She had gone from a somewhat naïve girl to the now witty and confident woman that she is.

But even her passion for her art wasn't enough to keep her mind off of her. She found herself thinking about how things would be like if they had worked through their troubles in Bloomington. Or what would happen if they had stayed together and made their relationship public. But mostly she just wondered how Catherine was doing. If she was being honest with herself, she'd admit that she missed her terribly.

Catching her thoughts wandering back to the professor, she quickly shook her head as began making her way back to her trailer. It had been a long day of shooting and a rather emotionally exhausting one at that. She had spent most of the day crying whilst shooting a particular scene. One that she had experienced some years ago. Though it was all an act, she could still feel the sting of Catherine's words when her co-star tells her character that she isn't worth the effort.

The blonde rounds up her belongings and takes off to meet with her fellow actress: Hayley Quinn. A tall and slim brunette with eyes so green, they gave the most expensive emerald a run for its money. An actress known for being outspoken. Famous for playing the bad ass characters, and pulling it of. Jackie would proudly admit that she was once attracted to the brunette. Had she not have been so affected by Catherine, she would have pursued something more than friendship with her. But as it turned out, the two preferred to keep things platonic.

Since coming out, every woman that Jackie was spotted with was deemed her new lover. Jackie found it entertaining for the most part, occasionally causing a stir by neither denying nor confirming the rumors. Hayley was the current woman under speculation of being Miss Kirk's newest interest. She spots Hayley in the corner of an upscale restaurant hidden away from most of the paparazzi.

"Jacks!" cries Hayley.

The two greet each other with a kiss on each cheek before seating themselves.

"Hey you! I honestly thought I'd never get away from the set." Jackie begins as the exhaustion finally sinks in.

"God I'm glad I'm not you. Taking a break from filming is probably one of the best things I've done this year. You should consider it."

"Don't tempt me. I'd gladly take a break but Wade would have my ass served as part of a three course meal if I did" Jackie chuckles at the image.

"Must you say that just as we're about to eat?" A look of disgust graces Hayley's features briefly before she continues, "But really. The only reason I invited you out is because I was worried about how you'd be after shooting. Don't think I haven't forgotten what scene they had you working on tonight."

Jackie smiles. She knew she could always count on Hayley to be there for her without needing to be asked. When they had first met, the blonde knew that Hayley would come to mean a great deal to her. She wasn't wrong.

"It was okay." the blonde shrugs, only to receive a look of disbelief.

"Bullshit."

Jackie can only laugh. She should have known better than to try and lie to her friend. Of all the people she knew in Hollywood, Hayley was one of the few who knew of what Jackie had left before shooting Neptune 26.

"It was shit" she sighs, "Every take just felt like I was in that room with her all over again. It didn't get any easier the more we had to do it. But I guess it worked in my favour. I mean, I wasn't acting anymore by the time we hit the fourth or fifth take. Wade said something about never seeing something so genuine before" she attempts to sound nonchalant.

"Sweetie.." Hayley reaches for the young blonde's hand.

"I'll be fine. I promise. It's been three years. I'm no longer the train wreck I was back then." she replies and she squeezes the brunette's hand, looking at her sincerely.

The moment was interrupted as the waiter announced his presence. Soon after, their orders were taken and they fall into a comfortable silence. Jackie can feel Hayley staring at her with questioning eyes but decides to ignore it for the time being, choosing to stare out of window and watch the people outside going about their business. Before long, she senses the other woman's internal debate and decides to put her out of her misery.

"You'd think that after all this time you wouldn't have to think before telling or asking me something. Out with it" Jackie teases. She earns a poke in the arm.

"It's nothing. I just wonder how someone could be stupid enough to do what that bi-"

"Hayley." the blonde warns.

"..Woman did to you."

"I'd rather not think about it. I've moved on." a pause, "But sometimes I still.. I don't know." she lets out a frustrated sigh.

"You still what?"

"I just.. I want to show her that I know how to be okay without her. I want her to know what she's missed out on. I want to know that she didn't fair any better than I did when I left. I want her.. to just get out of my head." Her voice rising as steadily as her frustration. She feels Hayley's hands on hers again.

"I know it's hard sweetie. I could tell you that you'll be okay and you'll be over it soon but that'd be a lie. You don't move on from something or someone who had that sort of effect on you in a matter of two seconds." Jackie can see the pity in the brunette's eyes.

"You know what I want?" Hayley asks.

"What's that?"

"For you to be happy. Just have a day without her bringing you down." Hayley states with a small smile, her thumb gently caressing the back of Jackie's hand.

"Thanks Hayls" Jackie returns the smile, "And you wonder why everyone thinks we're dating" as she glances at their hands. Hayley throws her head back with laughter before bring their hands to her lips, placing a soft kiss on Jackie's knuckles.

"Let them think that." She replies with a wriggle of her eyebrows.

The two continue to laugh and talk as they enjoy their meal. Conversations ranging from work, to plans for the next day, to silly subjects. Jackie feels the emotional baggage of the day dissipate. This is exactly what she needed.

Halfway through the meal, Jackie excuses herself to use the restroom. Getting up, she doesn't make it far before she hears her counterpart.

"Don't fall in the toilet, honey!" Hayley yells from their table, effectively garnering a few inquisitive glances from those around her.

In the process of turning around to give the brunette a stern look, Jackie fails notice that one of the patrons had begun to rise from their seat. No more than a second and a collision later, she finds herself reaching for the closest thing to break her fall. Managing to grab hold of a chair, she apologizes profusely to the poor being she had almost trampled over.

"Oh my God, I am so sorry! I should have been looking where I was going! I do this all the time! I'm sorry!" She cries as she bends over to pick up the other person's belongings. Soon after gathering various items that had fallen out of the other woman's purse, Jackie straightens up to look at the most recent victim of her clumsiness.

The world stops momentarily.

"Catherine?"

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_I feel like I should mention this. The title is from a song called A Belle to Remember by Hayley Kiyoko._


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks for the reviews on the first chapter! Hopefully you all enjoy this one. I'll tell you now, the start may be a little bit slow, but if you'll bear with me, I'll try and make things as interesting as my imagination will let me! Also, if I owned Bloomington, I wouldn't have to write fanfiction ;)  
_

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She doesn't think she's ever tried this hard to look like she was having a good time. Wondering why she thought it was a good idea to go to dinner, she attempts to pay attention to the conversation at hand. When it came to meeting new people these days, she just didn't have the patience to see where things could go. She always felt like they would never meet her standards now that she's had the best. This date was no exception.

It was clear that this man had nothing better to talk about than himself so she takes this opportunity to dwell upon how far she has come. She never imagined that she'd get away from Bloomington, let alone find herself in California. As luck would have it, she found an appealing career option in L.A. She was weary, yes, but she figured her chances of bumping into a certain blonde was slim. A name that high-profile would be hard to come by in public. In the end, her passion for teaching won out. If she was honest, her hope may have influenced her decision as well.

Three years ago, it had gotten to the point where she could no longer stand her own company. With the two things she loved gone, she felt she had no reason to be there anymore. Her career torn away from her, her love walked away from her, though she held herself accountable for both. Come the end of that year, she decided that she needed a change. With her bags packed and a ticket to the first destination she could think of, she said goodbye to Bloomington, with hopes of not returning for a long time.

Difficult was one way to describe her escape from the place she once held dear to her. Upon her arrival at the airport, the panic sank in. It dawned on her that to get away, she'd have to get on a plane. What was once fear of flying became a reminder of what she had lost. Or rather, who. A sigh. She recalls berating herself for lingering on the one thing she was determined to forget about. She walked in with new-found confidence as she thinks about how she'll make a change for the better.

Her thoughts interrupted by a loud shrill, sounding from her bag. Her date doesn't look pleased at the interruption so without a glance, she rejects the call, hoping she hadn't upset him too much. He carries on about his career success and she can't help the sigh of boredom that escapes.

"Catherine? Are you okay?"

She's pulled out of her thoughts upon realizing she was asked a question.

"Yeah, I'm okay." she plasters on a fake smile, but he remains oblivious.

"Are you sure? We can do something else if you prefer?" she suddenly feels bad when she hears the change of tone.

It's not completely his fault that she'd rather be with someone else. Since moving to L.A, she's steered clear from the dating scene. Every time she met someone, she'd push them away, always comparing whoever she was with to Jackie. She eventually decided that she had enough of being lonely. That it was time to give someone a chance. Partly why she's here tonight.

"No really, Lucas, I'm fine." she attempts to reassure him.

"Oh, okay." he begins, "It's just that you've been so quiet and I'm getting a bit concerned. Was this date a little too soon?"

Before she can respond, her phone rings again. She glances at the caller ID, thankful for an escape.

"I'm really sorry, I have to get this. I'll be right back." she says absent-mindedly and Lucas can only nod as he watches Catherine rise from her seat.

In an instant, he's out of his seat and attempting to steady Catherine as a young woman all but rams herself into his date. For a second, the entire scene was an image of tangled limbs with various items flying around haphazardly. He bends down to pick up her phone, as it was the closest thing to him. Straightening up, he notices Catherine freeze whilst the younger woman continues to gather Catherine's belongings.

Curiosity gets the better of him and he allows himself to watch the women in front of him. The younger blonde rises and a look of recognition graces his features. It was Jacqueline Kirk, the hottest thing in Hollywood. Before he can say anything to her, he notices the look of surprise on Jackie's face.

"Catherine?" the younger actress breathes.

Catherine remained quiet. Her heart was racing and breathing became one of the most difficult tasks. She questioned the reality of the situation, convinced that she was just in a dream, much like many that she's had over the last few years. A hand on her shoulder pulls her out of her musings and she looks up to see Lucas with questioning eyes. She smiles at him, hoping he took that as her being alright. Her attention is back to the younger blonde. All she can do is stare at the woman who meant the world to her

"Jacqueline." She breathes, finally finding her voice. Catherine hopes she sounded a lot more confident than she felt.

The two continue to look at each other for what felt like an eternity. For Catherine, the world around her didn't exist anymore. In this moment, it was just her and Jackie back at the house in Bloomington. The world was theirs again. Her head swam as she was overcome with emotions. How she wanted to reach out and touch the face she had missed the most. But their eternity was cut short as a brunette quickly made her way over.

"Sweetie! Oh my God, are you alright?" the new woman is all over Jackie and Catherine finds it near impossible to not wring her neck then and there.

"You know me, always the clumsy one" Jackie admits bashfully, causing Catherine's stomach to do somersaults. She barely notices the brunette staring at her in the midst of her admiration for the actress.

"Listen, I'm really sorry about this. It was my fault for distracting her" The younger brunette apologizes, simultaneously placing her arm protectively around Jackie and maintaining her gaze at Catherine. The older blonde began to feel uncomfortable under her scrutiny. Taking note of the rising tension, Lucas decides to intervene.

"Jacqueline Kirk! And Hayley Quinn! Oh my, fancy seeing you two here!", Lucas cries in excitement, gaining the attention of all three women. Jackie and Hayley take a moment to acknowledge Lucas' presence, politely shaking his hand and making conversation with him.

Something clicks in Catherine's head upon hearing the brunette's name and she feels her heart breaking all over again. Though it's something she'd rather not do, she'd occasionally delve into the happenings of Jackie's personal life. The most recent article she read had mentioned rumors a blossoming relationship between the two women in front her. She so desperately hoped they were just rumors.

"Well, as an apology, choose any bottle of champagne you like. It's on us. We'll be making our way back. Hopefully we didn't interrupt your date too much" Hayley announces, not taking her eyes off the other blonde, only look away to smile at Lucas and Jackie. She finally turns away, guiding the young actress back to their table, arm still around her.

Catherine releases a breath she didn't realize she was holding. She has felt more emotion in the last two minutes that she has in the past three years. Taking a seat, she rests her head in her hands, recounting the events that just transpired. Deciding that she would be much worse company than she already was, she looks up at an expectant Lucas in hopes of cutting the date short.

"Wanna tell me what that was about?" he questions before she can begin to excuse herself.

"She bumped into me" Catherine was in no mood to discuss this with Lucas.

"How do you even know Miss Hot Shot Kirk anyway?"

"She was one of my students back in Bloomington"

Lucas nods, accepting the answer though it was obvious that he didn't completely buy it. Catherine sighs. Her head was starting to pound. Whether it was from the crash or from the sudden onslaught of feelings, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that she needed to go home and compose herself.

"Luke.. I'm really not feeling too well" it wasn't a complete lie. "I think that collision did more than what I initially thought"

"Yeah, it looked pretty bad. Would you like me to take you home?" he offers

"No it's okay. I can take a cab."

"Oh" he replies, looking dejected "Well, can we do this again sometime? Properly?"

"We'll see." she states with a small smile, though they both know that it meant no.

With that, she grabs her purse and makes her way to the door. It takes everything within her to not find Jackie amongst the other patrons. She just knew that if she did, she wouldn't be able to stop herself from telling her how she felt. She definitely wouldn't be able to fight the urge to kiss her. So while she had the willpower, she wasn't going to stop herself from getting as far away from Jackie as possible.


End file.
